Today we’d like to introduce you to Agustina Panzoni.
Agustina, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I am a daughter of an entrepreneur mother and an artist father. Therefore, the gray area between business and art is my home. Being able to see the contrast between the life of an artist and the one of a business owner throughout my childhood was quite staggering. From a young age, I realized that creative work isn’t properly valued by the economy. I moved to Boston when I became 18 to study economics at Bentley University, aiming to understand how it works and figure out what needs to be changed for creatives to be valued as they should be.
I’ve always been fascinated by the fashion industry, trends and the expressive potential of style. While in college, I pushed the concept of a herdless style, one that doesn’t follow social conventions but its purely expressive and true to the wearer. In my Instagram, you can see I don’t have one personal style or brand but many different ones to which I add a personal touch to. I believe different styles of clothing highlight different parts of my personality. No one is 100% one way or the other, we are all mosaics in a way and my wardrobe shows that.
My involvements in fashion got me invited to Mercedes Benz Australia Fashion Week. There, I learned about trend forecasting as an industry and how the economy affects our perception of what’s trendy and what’s not. From that moment on, I’ve been researching about how trends grow from the underground to the mainstream, I’ve been researching about new forecasting technologies and technologies (like blockchain) that can help credit the creatives who start these trends. I am very excited about the future and hope I am able to create a positive change in the creative industries in the years to come.
In the meantime, I have created the Boston Creative Network, an online space where I inform people about events being thrown by and for the creative community in Boston. Examples of these events are artist showcases, gallery openings, fashion shows, industry networking events, meetups, art parties, and workshops. My goal is to promote Boston’s culture and support the creative community. Two months after its conception, BCN holds almost 300 active creatives who have used the space to not only find out about events but also to network with each other, share information about upcoming opportunities and collaborate in different projects. We are planning our first event and are very excited.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
As a girl, society tells me to be cautious, self-aware and caring about other people. Guys are taught to be brave and assertive on what they want.
Sometimes, too much caution and self-awareness bring along a lack of confidence. It took me forever to have the courage to start something on my own or to start talking to other creatives and asking them to collaborate in projects; I was aware of my inexperience in creativity and didn’t want to waste other people’s times.
I encourage girls to unapologetically explore different fields of interest, believe in themselves and their growth journey and take a leap of faith. A trick that has helped me dare to explore is adopting the ‘5-second rule’. This rule basically states that if you see an opportunity or suddenly get hit by an idea of something you’d like to do, you have to take action without allowing yourself to think for more than 5 seconds. It has been proven that it takes 5 seconds for your brain to come up with excuses why not to do something and let fear take over you. The 5-second rule was the reason why I got to Mercedes Benz Australia Fashion Week, for example. That’s a really long story that I can tell you about some other time.
Do you have any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general? What has worked well for you?
I’ve been connecting with several people that work in the trend forecasting industry through LinkedIn. My one advice when it comes to mentors is don’t be scared to ask. You’d be surprised at how many people want to give back and support others who are starting to walk a similar path.
I like to read a lot too. The four-hour workweek is one of my favorite books, it has truly changed the way I look at life.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.agustinapanzoni.com
- Email: agustinapanzoni@gmail.com
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/aguspanzoni
- Other: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1586930751405836/
Image Credit:
Blue boots photo: Renee Newman Photography, Daisy dress photo: Renee Newman Photography, Red Door background photo: Sutherland Pictures, Flowers in the background Photo: Sutherland Pictures, Caution photo: Greg Lee Imagery, Yellow jacket photo: Andy Miller Photography, Pink fur top: Dreana LeMaitre Photography, Shopping cart photo: Vintus Okonkwo, Alley photo: Subtractive Light, Yellow Background, Skinny glasses: Woodyphotog
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